Animal rights advocate protesting Ogle County rodeo pleads not guilty to false reporting charges

An animal rights activist accused in Ogle County of falsely reporting a shooting at a rodeo near Rochelle pleaded not guilty Wednesday, Aug. 20, after a judge ruled that probable cause exists.

Jodie Wiederkehr of Chicago is charged with two counts of falsely reporting an offense, a Class 4 felony, and one count of harassment by telephone, a misdemeanor.

Wiederkehr is the campaign director of SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness, which has been advocating for the closure of a rodeo in the county and has provided officials with videos of animals injured during steer tailing events.

[ Northern Illinois counties struggle to regulate Mexican-style rodeos, steer-tailing events in their area ]

Ogle County Associate Judge Anthony Peska’s ruling at Wednesday’s hearing came after Ogle County sheriff’s deputy Justin Diehl, Wiederkehr‘s arresting officer, took the stand.

When questioned by Ogle County Assistant State’s Attorney Matthew Leiston, Diehl said that on May 25 he met with two dispatch officers who told him they had received a call in which the caller said “I saw somebody get shot” and another call that “was in reference to someone being shot” at 16989 Ritchie Road, south of Rochelle.

That property is the location of the Mexican-style rodeo, Rancho La Esperanza, according to county documents.

Despite SHARK and many residents advocating for its closure, the rodeos continue under a special-use permit issued by the County Board in 2012. SHARK advocates told Shaw Local the next event is scheduled for Aug. 31.

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Jodie Wiederkehr appears in Ogle County court Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Wiederkehr is charged with calling in false reports of a shooting at a rural Rochelle farm. (Alex T. Paschal)

At Wednesday’s hearing, Diehl said a total of 27 calls, all recorded, were made to Ogle County Dispatch on May 25 from the same phone number.

One of Wiederkehr’s attorneys, Brad Thomson of Chicago, said it’s “important to look at the calls in the context they were made” because the general intent of all those calls was to report “animal cruelty.”

Diehl, when questioned by defense attorney Chris Carraway of Colorado, agreed that the general concern of all calls was “animal cruelty,” but it was not entirely “centered around” that issue.

He also agreed with Carraway that dispatch “refused to take the report” that animal cruelty was occurring at the property and repeatedly sent the calls to voicemail, but they “were following protocol.”

Carraway said this “frustrated” Wiederkehr so she asked dispatch: “If I report someone got shot, would you send someone out?”

He said that question was hypothetical and not intended to be a direct report.

There was “a lot of ‘if’ language” and statements in the recorded calls to dispatch, Diehl said, but when questioned by Leiston, Diehl said “there was no hypothetical ‘if.’ She said she saw someone get shot.”

After that report, Diehl said that another sheriff’s deputy was sent to the property to investigate. That officer spoke to security and saw no “hysteria” or any “evidence of a shooting.”

That officer wasn’t sent to the property until after the second alleged report was made to dispatch. No other officers nor ambulance was sent to respond, Diehl confirmed when questioned by Carraway.

In the end, Peska sided with prosecutors. Wiederkehr, who is not in custody, will next appear in court at 1 p.m. Oct. 1.